A Gift from Mainz

According to the "clerical immunity" established by canon law, any crime committed by a member of the church would be tried by a court organized by the church.

Secular monarchs often feared the authority of the Holy See and dared not violate this privilege.

Dieter, originally the auxiliary bishop of Mainz, held a position equivalent to an ordinary bishop and naturally enjoyed this right.

However, after careful consideration, Laszlo ultimately decided to learn from his senior, King Charles IV of France.

Historically, there were instances of monarchs bypassing the Pope to directly try bishops.

For example, decades ago, King Henry V of England executed the Bishop of Rochester for treason.

The English, far from the Holy See, had long ceased to obey the Pope in Rome, and their actions had become more blatant in recent years.

There was also the renowned King Philip IV of France, who disbanded the Knights Templar and kidnapped and imprisoned the Pope in Avignon.

Compared to these European-wide feats, his execution of several Pope-friendly bishops for treason was often overlooked.

It was these measures of his that ultimately led to the complete decline of papal power in France.

Subsequently, Charles VII issued the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges, which almost completely severed the Pope's influence over France.

However, to Laszlo's slight surprise, Louis XI, that filial son, openly announced the abolition of the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges and restored the tradition of tribute to the Pope not long ago, in exchange for the Pope's favor and support.

This also gave Laszlo a deeper understanding of France's precarious situation.

Louis XI was under immense pressure domestically, and now it was only a matter of time before France descended into chaos.

In the Empire, the Humiliation of Canossa remains a laughingstock for other countries to this day, and the disputes with the Pope have led to long-term instability in the Empire.

Therefore, subsequent Emperors chose to cooperate with the Holy See, giving the Pope full respect in various matters, and they gained many benefits as a result.

But Laszlo's actions were far more radical than those of previous Emperors.

He used the opportunity of the Prussian War to tame the declining Teutonic Order, manipulated the papal election from behind the scenes to make a German the Pope, and now openly subverted Mainz and tried a high-ranking clergyman. Upon closer inspection, his actions seemed to have some commonalities with Philip IV.

What he hoped for was to establish an authority in the Empire, in the vast territories of Habsburg, that transcended the Pope.

Such an idea has not caused too much trouble so far, but it remains to be seen what will happen after the current Pope ascends to heaven.

Just a few weeks after the trial ended, the Pope's envoy arrived in Vienna, agreeing to the Emperor's request to strip Dieter of all his ecclesiastical offices and excommunicate him from the church.

However, the Pope also made a suggestion at the same time: to appropriately reduce Dieter's punishment, changing the death penalty to lifelong seclusion in a monastery.

Laszlo insisted that Dieter's actions severely threatened national security, disrupted the Empire, and incited rebellion, making his crimes unforgivable. He was determined to execute Dieter as a deterrent.

On the same day the Pope's special envoy arrived in Vienna, Dieter was publicly beheaded in a busy market in Vienna, to deter those evil villains with ulterior motives within the Empire.

Until his death, he firmly believed that the path he adhered to was not wrong. His heart harbored not only the ideal of reforming the Empire but also the ideal of reforming the church.

It was just a pity that the path of reform he chose ran counter to Laszlo's imperial reforms and was vastly different from Pope Pius II's church reforms, which was his greatest sin.

Dieter's life ended there, while the Mainz War, which began because of him, continued, bringing destruction and disaster to the people of Rhineland.

Before Laszlo embarked on his eastern tour, a gift from Mainz piqued his strong interest.

Adolf sent him several interesting machines and several skilled craftsmen from Mainz.

These people brought mature movable type printing technology to Vienna, to Austria.

The printing technology, which had always been overlooked by Laszlo, now came into his hands in an unexpected way.

In the court of Hofburg Palace, Laszlo caressed the book in his hand, looking at the exquisite printed characters on it.

Every time he saw the Gothic script of the German, he had a strange feeling.

Although those strange characters were actually ordinary Latin, they still felt ornate and bizarre.

The font printed in the book in his hand, though still bearing traces of Gothic, was overall more graceful and less difficult to read.

This book was a printed version of the Bible, the masterpiece of the famous inventor of the printing press, Johannes Gutenberg, who stood before him.

This was one of Gutenberg's few presentable items, suitable as a gift for the Emperor.

In the Hofburg Palace library, there was actually also a Bible printed by Gutenberg, the one Aeneas had acquired through connections from Mainz a few years ago.

At that time, Gutenberg had not yet gone bankrupt due to commercial disputes.

However, Laszlo had never seen that book, nor was he even aware of its existence.

He had little interest in the Bible in his hand; what truly made him ponder was the immense value hidden behind printing technology and its potential impact.

Laszlo heard that after the city of Mainz was captured, all printing factories were shut down, and the fleeing printing workers escaped Mainz, taking their technology with them.

Perhaps it was this opportunity that caused the printing technology, originally concentrated in Mainz, to begin spreading widely within the Empire, and it quickly attracted the attention of the church.

Now Laszlo began to wonder if he had inadvertently promoted something very extraordinary.

Anyway, Gutenberg, who was standing in front of him, very confidently claimed that he had brought a technology that could change the world.

Laszlo averted his gaze from the book and looked at the unremarkable old man in front of him with interest.

He was Gutenberg.

Standing next to him was the highly enthusiastic Aeneas, who was delighted to personally introduce this ingenious inventor to the Emperor.

However, the Emperor's gaze was quickly drawn to the French apprentice among the apprentices standing behind him.

This Frenchman was much calmer than the apprentices who first met the Emperor, or even Gutenberg himself, as if he was accustomed to such scenes.

Laszlo looked up and down at this handsome middle-aged man in surprise. He rubbed his eyes to confirm that he was not mistaken.

In his sight, the information of this "apprentice" clearly appeared.

His name was Nicolas Jenson, and in the column for his identity, it clearly stated "Master of the Mint" and "Former Director of the French Tours Mint".

This was also a high-quality advisor with +2 administrative ability.

If he hadn't been convinced that his presence in the imperial palace in Vienna was just an accident and that his attitude was neutral, Laszlo would have mistaken him for a spy sent by the King of France.

He turned his gaze to Gutenberg, who was tightly clutching a wooden box, signaling him to display the treasure in his arms.

Gutenberg stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and gently opened the wooden box with his calloused hands.

Laszlo narrowed his eyes slightly and saw neatly arranged metal movable type lying in the box, each letter shimmering with a cold luster.

"This is the secret of printing, Your Majesty," Gutenberg's voice held a hint of nervousness. He was worried about whether he could satisfy the Emperor, thereby saving his life and starting a new life in Vienna.

He continued: "You just need to arrange these movable types in order in the printing press, apply ink evenly,

Then cover it with paper and press firmly. When the paper is lifted, beautiful characters will be printed on the paper."

A book that would take monks months to copy can be completed quickly with a printing press."

"I heard you printed many indulgences for Adolf in Mainz?" Laszlo asked.

Gutenberg was slightly startled, unsure if the Emperor's question had a deeper meaning, and could only answer truthfully: "Yes, Your Majesty, we spent a week printing four thousand indulgences."

Laszlo nodded; such speed was quite astonishing.

He rested his chin in his hand and began to ponder: those expensive books limited the spread of knowledge—though that wasn't necessarily a bad thing—but there were always places where books were needed.

For example, Vienna University, the church's demand for theological books, and the nobility's hobbies—these all contained immense business opportunities.

Although over ninety percent of people on the European continent today are illiterate, and even daily communication is a problem, society is progressing, and the demand for books is steadily increasing.

More importantly, in this unenlightened era, controlling a printing press was almost equivalent to controlling public opinion, making it easier to spread the Emperor's glory.

"I've decided, I want to establish a Royal Printing Press in Vienna!" Laszlo suddenly stood up, his gaze fixed on Gutenberg, "Gutenberg, I heard you founded the first profitable printing workshop in Mainz and paid a lot of taxes to the rebel Dieter—this is not to hold you accountable, but an affirmation of your ability.

Since you have the ability to regroup after repeated setbacks, then fight once more; I plan to put you in charge of the Royal Printing Press and grant you a court position."

Gutenberg almost lost his footing; he couldn't believe such good fortune would befall him.

Even Jenson and the other apprentices standing behind him began to cheer for him in low voices.

Although Jenson only went to Mainz to study printing technology in 1458 at the behest of Charles VII, several years of acquaintance had forged a deep friendship between him and Gutenberg.

Moreover, his liege, Charles VII, had passed away, and Jenson was unsure if he would gain the trust and employment of the new king upon returning to Paris, so it was better to settle down in Vienna for now.

"Your Majesty, you are as enlightened and wise as ever." Aeneas exclaimed sincerely.

Laszlo could tell that his teacher was very interested in printing.

Aeneas had also strongly advocated for the introduction of printing technology, but due to cost issues, it had never been realized until now, when his wish was finally granted.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your appreciation; I will do my utmost to repay your trust."

Gutenberg replied emotionally; after experiencing his third bankruptcy, he had finally overcome his hardships and received the Emperor's sponsorship, which meant more to him than he could express.

Gutenberg, who hadn't prayed to God in a long time, silently expressed his repentance and gratitude to God in his heart; all of this was the Emperor's grace and a gift of fate.

"Hmm," Laszlo nodded with satisfaction, "A portion of the industries destroyed in Treviso during the Italian War have relocated to Vienna, including the Treviso Paper Mill.

This paper mill supplied the largest share of paper in South German and has now been rebuilt and is expanding.

The Italian artisans' papermaking skills are excellent; if the Royal Printing Press buys a large quantity of paper, I think they will be happy to offer a favorable price.

Additionally, you shouldn't worry about orders from the Church and Vienna University; they will be very happy to cooperate with a printing press that has high output and efficiency.

Perhaps you can also open up some new businesses, printing some excellent popular literary works, such as Mr. Aeneas's masterpiece.

I can guarantee that those books will definitely become bestsellers and be very popular among the urban class."

"Ahem, Your Majesty…" Aeneas's old face flushed; he didn't understand why the Emperor kept bringing up things he had written for fun when he was young and naive.

"Hehe, I'm not joking," Laszlo seriously instructed Gutenberg, "My teacher here is a thirty-year court laureate poet; you can find some works by famous literati like him to print, and they will definitely sell very well.

Another important point is to open marketing locations in various places to expand sales and markets.

It would be best if you could make your printed books accessible to the people of the entire Austria within a few years."

"I've noted it all, Your Majesty." Gutenberg listened carefully to the Emperor's instructions, sighing inwardly that after this bankruptcy, he finally wouldn't have to start from scratch again, which made him very happy.

Laszlo sat back on the throne, turning his gaze back to Jenson beside him, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

Gutenberg was about to take his apprentices and withdraw when he heard the Emperor suddenly speak: "Now it's time to talk about your matter, this apprentice from France, your name is…"

"My name is Nicolas Jenson, Your Majesty."

Jenson was clearly a France, yet he spoke fluent German, but this was not surprising; if he didn't have some real ability, how could Charles VII have taken notice of him?

"I heard you once served King Charles VII of France." Laszlo watched Jenson with amusement.

The people around immediately looked at Jenson warily, and even the apprentices quietly moved a few steps away, fearing being implicated by him, while Gutenberg alone seemed anxious.

Jenson, who had maintained a calm and composed demeanor, now saw his pupils tremble slightly, and a sense of fear arose from the depths of his heart.

When had he been exposed? How did the Emperor know about him and his past experiences?

He knew nothing about it.

Since the Emperor had already brought it up, Jenson no longer concealed it and replied truthfully: "Yes, Your Majesty, I once managed the Royal Mint for the King of France, and later was ordered to go to Mainz to learn printing technology, and now I have come to your court."

"Your Majesty, Jenson absolutely has no intentions detrimental to the Empire; he is a master engraver, and this new typeface on my metal movable type was designed by him; he...he truly only wanted to learn printing technology."

Hearing Gutenberg's defense, Laszlo was somewhat speechless; was it possible that a foreigner coming to learn printing technology already constituted espionage?

However, he had no intention of punishing Jenson and instead said gently: "I bear you no ill will; I am just curious about your plans for the future.

If you wish to return to France, I will give you travel expenses; of course, I would prefer you to stay in Vienna and serve me."

"Your Majesty, you…" Jenson paused, "I will stay in Vienna; I greatly enjoy my work at the printing press; it is a meaningful endeavor."

"Good, then you will assist Gutenberg and serve as the deputy director of the printing press."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Jenson was quite surprised by this outcome, while Gutenberg was happy for him.

After Gutenberg and the others left the Hofburg Palace, they immediately began the work of establishing the printing press.

They had been sent to Vienna along with a batch of printing equipment, and now only needed to find a location to establish the factory, recruit apprentice workers, and then contact raw material suppliers and buyers to begin operations.

Treasurer Jacob and Court Chancellor Aeneas provided many conveniences for the construction of the printing press, hoping to accelerate the completion of Vienna's first printing press.

And Laszlo had also made his final preparations, about to embark on his eastern tour.